2 flood insurance claims·$4,926 paid·3 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Garden County, Nebraska. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 3 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
1 NOAA storm reports from Garden County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Nebraska flood stories →
12 federal disaster declarations since 2001, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Morrill-cottonwood Fire | Mar 12, 2026 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Straight-line Winds | Apr 6, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Mar 9, 2019 |
| Flooding | Jun 17, 2011 |
| Flooding | May 24, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 1, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jun 5, 2009 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Dec 19, 2006 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
9 since 1996: 9 flash floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 14, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 7, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 18, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 22, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 14, 2007 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 2, 2005 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 28, 2002 | $12,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 21, 1998 | $200,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 14, 2024. Thunderstorms developed along a stalled out frontal boundary, which was situated across the middle of Nebraska. As these storms tracked to the southeast, they became severe over southwestern Nebraska. Thunderstorm wind gusts up to 60 MPH were reported along with flash flooding between Lisco and Oshkosh.
Flash Flood · Jul 7, 2022. Thunderstorms produced torrential rainfall that led to flash flooding from the evening of July 6 into the morning of July 7 in parts of the panhandle as well as central Nebraska.
Flash Flood · May 18, 2018. An upper trough across the western CONUS and a remnant outflow boundary set the stage for a few severe thunderstorms.
Flash Flood · Jul 22, 2016. Continual development of thunderstorm clusters over the southern Nebraska panhandle led to flash flooding. Large hail and strong winds were also reported across parts of southwest Nebraska.
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Garden County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.